Keystone vs Strapi
Keystone is an open-source headless CMS that you host yourself. Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.
- Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
- Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Keystone on 29 Sept 2026, Strapi on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.
WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.
Feature comparison
Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. | Open-source Node.js headless CMS with a visual content-type builder, self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Paid plans add governance features. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026 | Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects Version 5.55.1, released 24 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Thinkmill keystonejs.com | Strapi strapi.io |
| Licence | Open source MIT | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan. |
| Built with | TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI | TypeScript, Node.js, React |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. Enterprise support from Thinkmill on request. | Free to start Community free. Growth $45 per month with 3 seats, then $15 per seat. Cloud from $35 per project per month. |
| Content modelling | ||
| Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. | Built in Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4 | Built in Content types are schema.json files in the project. 19 |
| Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. | Not available | Built in Content-type Builder works in development mode only. 16 |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Component blocks inside the document field. 8 | Built in Components and dynamic zones. 216 |
| Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. | Not available No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12 | Built in |
| Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. | Not available Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711 | Built in Generates small, medium and large sizes on upload. No crops on request. 15 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Not available GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4 | Built in 2 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in | Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14 |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 10 | Built in 218 |
| Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. | Not available | Not available |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Not available | Built in Draft & Publish. 2 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Not available | Paid tier Growth plan, by scheduling a Release. 6 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Not available | Paid tier Content History keeps 14 days on Growth, 30 to 90 days on Enterprise. 7 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Not available | Built in Basic preview is free. Side-by-side Live Preview needs Growth. 5 |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Not available | Paid tier On Growth, editors double-click content in Live Preview to edit it. 5 |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Not available | Paid tier Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Not available | Paid tier Releases on Growth and Enterprise. 6 |
| Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. | Not available | Not available |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5 | Built in Unlimited admin roles on Community. 28 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Built in Field-level access control. 5 | Built in 8 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6 | Paid tier Enterprise, or a $150 per month add-on on Growth. 211 |
| Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. | Not available | Paid tier Enterprise plan. 10 |
| Platform and extensibility | ||
| Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. | Not available | Not available |
| Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. | Built in Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9 | Built in 20 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Not available | Built in Strapi Marketplace. 2 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | Not available |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Built in createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6 | Built in Users & Permissions feature for end users. 17 |
| AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. | Not available | Paid tier AI translation and image alt text on Growth. Not yet available on Enterprise. 212 |
| Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. | Not available | Built in Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13 |
Keystone sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package.
- @keystone-6/core on the npm registry
- Keystone releases on GitHub
- Keystone homepage
- Keystone docs: System configuration
- Keystone docs: Access control
- Keystone docs: Authentication
- Keystone docs: Image field
- Keystone docs: Document field demo
- Keystone docs: Custom admin UI pages
- Keystone docs: Hooks guide
- Keystone docs: Cloudinary image field
- Keystone documentation index (llms.txt)
Strapi sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects.
- @strapi/strapi on the npm registry
- Strapi CMS pricing
- Strapi Cloud pricing
- We're removing the Free plan from Strapi Cloud
- Strapi docs: Preview
- Strapi docs: Releases
- Strapi docs: Content History
- Strapi docs: Role-Based Access Control
- Strapi docs: Review Workflows
- Strapi docs: Audit Logs
- Strapi docs: Single Sign-On
- Strapi docs: AI for content managers
- Strapi docs: MCP server
- Strapi docs: GraphQL plugin
- Strapi docs: Media Library
- Strapi docs: Content-type Builder
- Strapi docs: Users & Permissions
- Strapi docs: Webhooks
- Strapi docs: Models
- Strapi docs: Admin panel customization
Considering more platforms? Compare Keystone and Strapi with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Keystone and Strapi get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Keystone has 6 built in on its baseline edition, Strapi has 15. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.
- Vendor cloud
- Keystone has no vendor-run cloud. Strapi has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Keystone, a different answer on Strapi 1
- GraphQL API Keystone: Built in. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
Built in on Strapi, a different answer on Keystone 10
- Content model in the UI Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Localization Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Image transformations Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- REST API Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Webhooks Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Drafts Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Preview Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Custom roles Keystone: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
- Plugin marketplace Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
- Official MCP server Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 8
- Scheduled publishing Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Version history Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Visual editing Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Approval workflows Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Content releases Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Single sign-on Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Audit log Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Keystone: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
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Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Strapi vs Payload.
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Strapi against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Strapi
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- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Strapi
- Craft CMS vs Strapi
- DatoCMS vs Strapi
- Decap CMS vs Strapi
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- Drupal vs Strapi
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- Ghost vs Strapi
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- Hygraph vs Strapi
- Instatic vs Strapi
- Joomla vs Strapi
- Kirby vs Strapi
- Liferay DXP vs Strapi
- Optimizely CMS vs Strapi
- Strapi vs Payload
- Prismic vs Strapi
- Progress Sitefinity vs Strapi
- Sanity vs Strapi
- Sitecore vs Strapi
- Squarespace vs Strapi
- Statamic vs Strapi
- Storyblok vs Strapi
- Strapi vs TYPO3
- Strapi vs Umbraco
- Strapi vs Wagtail
- Strapi vs Webflow
- Strapi vs Wix
- Strapi vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Strapi
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